Saint Dominic's Preview
5
By Scott Thomason
I first bought this album when it was released and over the years I replaced it, first with a second album and then with a tape and later a CD. Although each of the songs stands the test of time, one--"Listen to the Lion"-- stands out as a classic--timeless, unique, haunting and as singularly brilliant today as it was when Morrison first wrote it. Seriously, who besides Morrison has ever attempted to even sound like an animal on record. That he actually succeeded drew me to listening to the nuances of the song, and there are too many to detail, over and over throughout the years.
It's a song I have never tired of hearing, and like the truly great songs in history, one that I always wish would never end. (I feel the same way about another Morrison song, "Madame George," but that's another story altogether.) Every time I hear "Listen to the Lion" I count myself incredibly lucky to have been alive when he recorded it. Van Morrison. A musical genius by any definition.
